


Lui ?

by dream_fixedunit (Es_per)



Series: Multidimensional Jeongin (independent works) [2]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: (spoilers in the title for my french readers hehe), Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Cemetery, Creepy, Creepy shit, Friendship, Gen, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Horror, No Romance, POV Third Person Omniscient, Platonic Relationships, ambient, but mainly it's them having fun and being friends, but then shit happens, if youve read my Easy MV fic it's even less than that, just a little bit and not for long!, skz explore abandoned places and creepy shit happens: the series, skz halloween fic!, the author can have a little christian cemetery in seoul... as a treat, they just have fun and celebrate halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:07:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27308950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Es_per/pseuds/dream_fixedunit
Summary: “I will behave.”“Correct. No Itaewon though, I just wanted to hear you say that once in my life.”Jisung’s mouth falls agape in a “O” of shock and betrayal.“But I want to go.” Felix interjects.“Of course, let’s go.” Chan smiles and goes to put on his shoes. Jisung has to cling to the kitchen counter for emotional support.-Eight friends reunite to celebrate Halloween. On their way back from buying food, they decide to take a shortcut, and it might not have been a good idea. They realise that too late when someone goes missing.
Relationships: Everyone & Everyone, OT8 - Relationship
Series: Multidimensional Jeongin (independent works) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2035360
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	Lui ?

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!
> 
> An excuse for me to write the guys having fun and being friends in Halloween costumes, also throwing in some Ambient Writing(TM) because I'm a sucker for that lol  
> I wanted them all to wear traditionally creepy halloween costumes, so no superhero or Elsa there, and no correlation to their actual costumes this year (except vampire Chan... hii pls contact me,,)  
> 1st half is friends goofing around, 2nd half is friends and less goofing around. Also I know Jisung has social anxiety IRL but I am not sure how it manifests (and it's his private life) so I apologise if it's incoherent with some of his behaviour in this.

The doorbell rings and Changbin goes to open the door, he comes face to face with a white sheet.

“Boo.” the black circles sewn into the bedsheet say and go for a hug.

“What’s that?” Changbin mocks and pulls apart to detail the figure.

“I’m a ghost!” Felix removes his hood to reveal a pouty expression.

“Could have fooled me.”

“Well excuse me, not everyone has the money to invest in FX latex.” he points at Changbin’s faux scars and realistic injuries, fresh blood oozing from some.

It’s true that Changbin’s costume is particularly high quality this year, with a hanbok befitting of a zombie from Kingdom. But Felix’s make up itself is very much on point underneath his face covering, fake white eyelashes complimenting his blond hair and pale blue eyeshadow shimmering under the ceiling lights. Changbin isn’t sure why he put so much effort into it since it’s gonna be hidden most of the time, but he can appreciate the skills.

Another talented one is Hyunjin, who probably spent an hour in the bathroom getting his eyeliner to the perfect angle so it enhances the red contacts he’s purchased specifically for this vampire outfit. Him and Chan share the same frilled white shirt and black cape with red inside, but Hyunjin’s bleached blond hair flows on his shoulders and Chan has donned fake blood at the corner of his lips painted wine red. He makes a move to bite Felix, who rattles his paper-mâché chain in response.

They’re soon joined by Minho, sporting a witch hat and a silky black robe. He bonks Changbin on the head with his plastic wand when the younger points out that it looks more like a fairy wand. Then Minho’s face contorts in horror when they welcome Jeongin coming in with Seungmin. His brow furrows over his dark glittery eyeshadow and he pinches his black lips because the youngest is _also_ wearing a witch hat, assorted of a purple cape decorated with golden stars.

Seungmin makes a roar in character with the wolf ears and paws he’s wearing, and the others know they’re going to have to fend for their lives tonight.  
Between two vampires, a werewolf, and Lee Felix who doesn’t need an excuse to bite people on the daily, they’re gonna have to protect their neck and shoulders. Changbin argues that zombies bite as well, and Hyunjin retorts that it doesn’t work on immortal beings.

They wait a while for the eighth one, Chan having to remove his fake teeth to properly chew on some popcorn, and when he finally arrives only silence greets him.

“What is that.” Changbin deadpans as soon as he opens the door.

Jisung makes a motion of extending his arms in front of him and walking in place with his legs spread apart. Hyunjin only cocks an eyebrow in response to his demonstration.

“Come on guys! I’m a mummy!” Jisung pleads while fighting with the strips of toilet paper that keep unrolling from his body.

“Sure you are.” the host pats his back and leads him inside.

Now that it’s the eight of them, the spacious Seo living room starts to feel a bit cramped. Changbin’s parents are out of town for a week and they agreed to let him have his friends over for Halloween, although his father mentioned they might be a bit too old at twenty now. His mother, thinking they’re still in elementary school, was delighted and insisted that her son let her cook some tteokbokki for them. Her coat was already on her shoulders and Changbin had to push her outside of the house, promising that they will find something to eat.

And well, technically it’s not a lie. They’re all scattered in the living room and open kitchen, eating from the various candy and chips packets they’ve either brought themselves (Felix, Chan, Seungmin) or picked from Changbin’s cupboards (everyone else).

Felix is busy helping Jisung tie the paper rolls properly, and Chan is lamenting the lack of trick-o-treating in South Korea, ignoring Seungmin’s wise input that it’d be weird for eight young men to show up to strangers’ doors asking for candy in the first place. (“It’s only weird because you’re wearing dog ears, Seungmin.” “I’m a werewolf, hyung. What else am I supposed to wear?”)

Felix gives up on the toilet paper that keeps disintegrating in his hands, and turns an imploring eye to Changbin.

“Don’t you have anything else for Han? He’s gonna be naked at this rate.”

“There’s probably something left from last year.” Changbin grimaces at the thought. “Let’s go to my room, I’ll find you something.” He gestures at poor Jisung, heartbroken that his costume didn’t last.

He emerges triumphant a few minutes later, wearing a pirate hat and brandishing a plastic sword. Felix is kind enough to clap in congratulations while Changbin groans, picking up the toilet paper scattered in the corridor.

“Jeongin needs another costume too.” Minho joins in, pointing at the youngest.

“What? Why!” the poor boy gasps, holding his hat with two hands.

“This town isn’t big enough for both of us. There can be only one witch. And since I’m obviously the sexier one, I think it should be me.”

“Hyung, there’s literally hundreds of witches in Seoul tonight.” Felix flies to the rescue.

“But not in my friend group.” Minho cocks an eyebrow for an answer, biting the head off of a gummy snake.

“Yeah, well, I don’t have any more costumes to lend out. Deal with it.” Changbin crosses his arms.

“Plus Innie is really cute like that!” Felix argues, pressing down on Jeongin’s shoulders who does his best aegyo. “Don’t you think he’s cute, Minho-hyung?”

The best witch only chews on the candy, unbothered.

“Please, hyung,” Jeongin flutters his eyelids, extending his cape to show the golden stars. “We can be colleagues!”

“Very well,” the older one concedes as if he had been waiting for that all along. “But you’re my apprentice.”

Jeongin nods in excitement and they clink their wands together as a pact.

Their evening resumes then. They share news about their respective majors, argue about the scary movie they’re going to watch later, if they should even go to Itaewon or not. Jisung is in favour, swaying his sword everywhere to punctuate his words, but Seungmin argues against it, making the point of finally getting to chill after months of stressful college. Chan explains that Seungmin is actually embarrassed to go out looking like that, which he is _not_ , thank you very much. Minho is too busy showing pictures of his cats dressed up as familiars to his pupil to partake in the conversation.

Ultimately, it’s always on Chan that befalls the decision. He turns to Jisung, coughing for attention when he almost gets stabbed in a passionate re-enactment of Jack Sparrow.

“Oh sorry, hyung,” Jisung scrambles, aware his evening plans rest in his hands.

“Jisung,” Chan smiles his professional Dad smile. “I agree to going to Itaewon, on one condition. I just need to hear those three little words…”

“I love you.”

“Thanks, but that’s not it.”

Jisung scratches his head, at a loss. He frowns, then his eyes widen and he finger-guns at Chan.

“I will behave.”

“Correct. No Itaewon though, I just wanted to hear you say that once in my life.”

The younger one’s mouth falls agape in a “O” of shock and betrayal.

“But I want to go.” Felix interjects.

“Of course, let’s go.” Chan smiles and goes to put on his shoes. Jisung has to cling to the kitchen counter for emotional support.

  
  


And just like that, they find themselves in the Itaewon Halloween streets.

The festive crowd is even bigger than last year, probably due to this Halloween night being a spectacular Blue Moon. Girls with pink bunny ears covered in blood accost Hyunjin, and ask Chan for his number when he jumps in to save him. They decline with an apology, walking back into someone dressed as a zombie. There are a lot of those tonight, they put it on the success of Kingdom that even Changbin has fallen victim to.

The music blaring from the surrounding stores and bars is deafening, following their every step in the human tide around them. Nobody comments on Seungmin’s ears, but some have better werewolf costumes than him. All in all, it’s a lot of fake blood, corpse-white make up and noise. They take some pictures with a nearby scarecrow, Minho is asked to pose by random passerbys and he grabs Jeongin for a “witch coven” portrait.

The youngest’s eyes sparkle at the attention. Minho is taking his mentor role very seriously, now teaching him how to cast a curse on Jisung with maximum efficiency and minimum effort. The curse seems to work because he gets disapproving looks for waving his sword around carelessly.  
Felix makes a point of keeping his hood on for credibility, but he keeps tripping on the end of the sheet. It’s all good and fun, Chan is holding his hand to both guide and not lose him to the crowd that’s getting tighter.

They all realise they’re hungry when the smell of fried chicken reaches their nose. A few nomad trucks on the side of the street are selling orange boxes decorated with spiders and advertising a pumpkin-flavoured batter chicken, whatever that means. They’re also displaying ghost cake pops that make Jeongin squeal in excitement.

Changbin remembers his promise to his mom, and suggests they buy take out to eat at home. Some of them whine about having to leave, but the others are getting tired of standing up. Changbin achieves bribing them by letting Felix and Jisung pick the movie they’re gonna watch while eating.

Hands full of bags of fried chicken, they turn away from the main street to go back home.

The crowd becomes more and more sparse the narrower alleys they take, the rumour and music fading farther and farther away behind them. The boxes radiate warmth and they can’t wait to sit down and dig into them. Jeongin is trying very hard not to bite into the cake pop Chan bought for him, staring at it with intent focus and squeezing his right hand around it.

They’ve been walking for twenty minutes when Hyunjin starts complaining.

“Maybe you shouldn’t have worn fifteen-centimetres platforms then.” Changbin retorts.

“Don’t be jealous because I’m twice as tall as you tonight.” The vampire looks down on him, but then sneezes because his open shirt is exposing his bare chest to the October cold, and the zombie snickers.

“For real though,” Felix tears off his hood to reveal a furrowed brow underneath. “How long ‘till we get home?”

“My arms hurt from carrying all this chicken.” Jisung chimes in, effectively being dragged down by the weight of the deliciousness.

“That’s the curse.” Minho learnedly nods. “It’s gonna keep getting worse, so buckle up.”

“We’re not lost, are we?” Seungmin shoots Changbin suspicious look.

The zombie rubs his face. The hunger must have gotten to him. Suddenly, he’s not so sure where they came from.

“Uh… I thought it was that way, but…”

Seungmin heaves out a dramatic sigh and lets his arms falls to his sides.

“Don’t worry!” Chan struggles to fish out his phone from his leather pants. “Google Maps says there’s a shortcut nearby.”

They all follow behind him into the alley to their left.

After walking a little while, they arrive to what seems to be a dead-end.

“That’s your shortcut?” Minho snorts.

“I don’t understand, we’re on the right path.” Chan shows them the screen, the geo-cursor is in the middle of an open street.

They stare at the wall. It’s in old cold stone, towering over them but they can see the top of a church point out behind it. Felix hits the palm of his hand with his fist in illumination.

“It’s a cemetery! It must belong to that church. Look, there’s a door right there.”

And indeed there is a small, antique door outlined in the side of the wall.

“Oh hell no, I’m not doing that.” Changbin backs away.

“It’s your fault we’re lost.” Minho points out. “I am not letting you make us walk more.”

“I think we should go in. According to the map, your house is right after the street down there.” Chan coaxes him.

“I would know if there was a Christian cemetery next to my house, thank you. And I never hear any church bells.”

“Maybe it’s no longer in use, then.”

“So you want us to go into an _abandoned_ cemetery? You realise how that’s worse, right?”

“Aren’t you Confucian? There’s nothing wrong with walking through a cemetery. It’s not like we’re going to hang out there, we’ll just cross.”

“Are you done arguing? My arms hurt.” Jisung whines. Seungmin replies that he’s carrying just as much and they don’t hear him complain.

“Okay, why don’t we vote?” Chan smiles. “Who thinks we should cross to go faster?”

Seven hands raise up.

“And who thinks Changbin is being a baby?” Hyunjin adds for good measure. Seven of them chuckle.

“Come on, maybe we’ll find the grave you’ve risen from.” Seungmin pats the zombie’s back, who groans but follows them through the rusted door.

  
  


Even so far away from the main streets and their lamp posts, it’s not dark. The full moon shines proudly in the night sky, providing them with the light Changbin finds some reassurance in. It’s cold though, and they can’t wait to be home, lay on the couch and eat the chicken before it completely loses its warmth, dangerously escaping in wisps of steam.

It’s nothing new to the two Australians, but to the rest it really looks straight out of an american horror movie. The graves are all in grey and greenish stone, moss covering most of the headstones and ivy clinging to the cracks. The path they’re walking on is made of gravel that crunches under their feet as they try to make way.

Chan is leading in front because he’s the one with the map and Minho is last, occasionally pushing at Changbin’s back to make him walk faster. They know the cemetery isn’t that big, probably belonging to some fringe Christian church with a few followers, but it sure feels like it when they’re hungry and impatient to sit down.

Thankfully, the path is straight and uncomplicated, no maze of tombs to figure out there. It doesn’t prevent Chan from stopping abruptly, causing everyone to crash into each other.

“Sorry,” he rubs his eyes. “I thought I saw something in the sky.”

“Yeah; a bird.” Hyunjin groans, shaking his foot Jisung stomped on.

“Not that… I might just be getting a headache, let’s go home.” Chan snaps out of it and proceeds to walk again.

They’re all getting back to their initial pace when Felix interrupts:

“Wait.”

He’s fallen behind, standing on the tip of his toes to hold his left foot above the ground.

“I think I hurt my ankle.”

The bedsheet is dirty and torn at one end, it’s plausible he tripped on it in the commotion.

“Are you okay?” they go over to him, Changbin helps him sit down on a nearby grave.

“Yeah, it doesn’t hurt too bad, just give me a sec…” Felix carefully rotates his ankle to gauge the situation, and grimaces.

“Oh my god ‘Lix, I’m so sorry.” Chan crouches down in front of him, face twisted in remorse.

“No, it’s also my dumb costume’s fault.” The blond gives him a sympathetic smile.

“I’ll give you some of my chicken, promise.” that makes him laughs.

They all surround him while he tests out little rotations of his ankle and eventually props himself up with his hands.

“It should be fine, we can go. Sorry for the wait.”

“It’s okay.” they assure and Minho gives him his free shoulder to rely on.

“Guys…” Hyunjin’s voice is hesitant. They all turn to look at him.

“Where’s Jeongin?”

  
  


“He was there a second ago!”

“Well he isn’t now, so focus!”

“It’s my fault,” Felix’s face is deathly pale in the moonlight. “We were all distracted because of me…”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Chan steps in. “He can’t be far, he’s in this cemetery so we’re gonna find him.”

That’s right, the cemetery is small. There aren’t so many places he could be. The wind blows and Hyunjin tightens his cape around him. They yell out Jeongin’s name several times, even try to call his phone, but only the night answers.

A shiver runs down their spines as the air seems to grow colder around them. They split up a bit, scattering between the graves in the four cardinal directions. Every tomb looks the same, green stone dripping with humidity, names partially eaten by the erosion of time or parasite moss. The only flowers are the wild ones sprouting between two graves, pushing out of the gravel in a desperate attempt at life.

The cemetery is lined with dense trees, branches hanging low from the lack of maintenance and obscuring the view as soon as you step in between them. The moon struggles to shine through the thick foliage, and the friends have to use the lamp torch on their phones. Fortunately, there isn’t much ground to cover. Unfortunately, Jeongin isn’t there.

They come back at the centre where all intersections meet, and continue searching from there.

The church is watching them from a distance, the long-dead clock in the tower like an all-knowing eye. They thought of exploring it, but it’s separated from the cemetery by a high wall that they don’t think anyone could climb. The metal cross at the top of the run-down church glints in the moonlight, diffracting its light on the tombstones.

There are two small chapels among the graves, one on each side of the main path. They’re guarded by Virgin statues, grief etched in their stone features by stabs of a chisel. Moss clutches to their faces like tear-stained cheeks, as they watch Minho enter the cold chapel.

The inside is empty if not for a crude stone altar in the centre. The light from outside falls onto it from the blocky windows, old dust flickering in the air and Minho stops breathing because on the altar is a hat. A witch hat.

He picks it up and holds it to his chest with two hands. His heart starts pounding and it echoes in the empty sacred space. Minho prides himself in being rational and level-headed, but right now his thoughts are crashing like hectic waves on the walls of the saint place. What if they’re not alone? Not ghosts, no, but what if there are people squatting in this abandoned cemetery and hostile to their presence? What if they’ve hurt Jeongin?

He tumbles out of the chapel, clinging to the wall for support his legs aren’t providing.

He’s bending over and trying to pull himself together when the rustling of footsteps on the gravel makes him look up.

“Oh, thank god.” Minho hugs Jeongin as tight as he can.

Then, pulling apart and detailing his features, a frantic hand to the side of his face:

“Are you okay? What happened?”

“Sorry, hyung…” Jeongin looks down in apology.

“You scared us so bad,” Minho breathes out in relief, putting the hat back on his head. “And you lost your hat.”

Jeongin blinks. “Oh, yeah.” he mumbles.

“Let’s go find the others and get out of here.” his hyung invites him, and he is surprised to find Jeongin’s right hand free to hold. “You ate the cake pop, god I wish I had eaten the chicken when it was still warm. We would have been home by now, if it weren’t for Changbin…”

They walk through the graves again, and it’s less oppressing with Jeongin by his side. Minho almost wants to bow to the Mary statues for helping find him. They know a few things about loss.

Upon noticing the group in the distance, Minho breaks out into a light jog.

“Hey!” he calls out and sees Chan turn to look at him. “I found-”

“Hyung!” Next to Jisung, Jeongin waves at him with a hand holding the cake pop. “Did you find my hat?”

The wind blows in his nape. Minho’s hand is empty.

Chan rubs his eyes.

  
  


Once they leave through the exit Jeongin says he had gone to find for Felix, they realise Changbin’s house is indeed not far away from the cemetery. But it’s isolated from the neighbourhood, the door opening on a vast vacant lot nobody ever pays attention to. It’s not even in the same street anyway.

They reach the house in under ten minutes and immediately put the chicken in the microwave because it is now as cold as the gravestones. Felix is laid down on the couch, and despite his claims of feeling better, Chan refuses to let him get up for anything.

They’re trying very hard to keep the festive spirit alive, but their make up is smudged by the wind and the cold, and they’re still pretty shaken by their adventures. They can’t leave Jeongin alone even when he wants to go to the bathroom. As soon as he crashes on the couch, Minho chugs down a bottle of soju with the shaking hands of a veteran soldier, eyes locked on his apprentice.

Horror expert Changbin doesn’t have the heart to complain when Jisung and Felix settle on Scary Movie 2, a promise is a promise.

The pumpkin-flavoured chicken is a surprising success amidst the boxes of spicy chicken, Chan gives some of his to Felix as per agreed. They also chomp up disgusting caramel popcorn that becomes the weapon of choice in Hyunjin’s battle against Jisung who uses his sword like a baseball bat.

Over the movie, Minho grabs Jeongin’s hand and squeezes it tight.

**Author's Note:**

> Listen I am very passionate about "doppelganger" Jeongin and I will not shut up.  
> Take those as tying into the long skz lore fic I want to write one day... eventually....
> 
> I hope you liked it and thank you for bearing with my antics ♥ Every kudos and comment makes me happy! Hope you have a happy Halloween if you celebrate (safely) or just a happy day/evening!


End file.
